SoftBank aims to contribute to the realization of sustainable agriculture around the world by offering e-kakashi.
In Phase 1 of the project, e-kakashi will be installed for trials at the estates of three farmers in the Cauca and Valle de Cauca Departments. While verifying the results of e-kakashi with local rice milling companies, CIAT and SoftBank will jointly create digital manuals for low-input rice cultivation.
The project will expand coverage to the Arauca and Casanare Departments for non-rice crops during the Phase 2.
e-kakashi simplifies the sharing of cultivation know-how since it can link collected data to farming experiences in digital manuals. e-kakashi identifies important growth and stunting factors at each stage of crop growth by utilizing AI with accumulated agronomical insights. With these tools, e-kakashi is expected help farmers better navigate the cultivation process, increasing their productivity.
SoftBank’s e-kakashi has already been tested in Colombia by CIAT at its pilot rice paddies and the Project will utilize insights from these tests to deploy e-kakashi as an ICT-based solution.
After trials that use e-kakashi with CIAT, rice milling companies, rice farmers and others are finished, the project aims to spread commercial-level implementation in Colombia and to other LAC region countries.